Baselworld Preview: Bell & Ross

Turn down bling, amplify trust.

Aeronautical instruments are a biblical witness: truthful, clear; someone to stake your life on. When Tech wasn’t the cheap all-consuming T-Rex it is now, pilots needed a sure way of knowing what they (and not the algorithm or SoC) needed to do to stay airborne. If you’re on a sortie behind enemy lines, you’d like true information so you can make it home in one piece. As a statement of intent, mil-spec lends the Bell & Ross brand an aura of desirability – all its watches comply with military specifications. Bell & Ross watches have been smartly associated with aviation from the reltatively young brand’s conception in 1992 by industrial designer Belamich and his business partner, Rosillo.

BRV-2: Devil in the Subtlest Details All Worked Out

In coming up with the Heritage design concept of the Vintage collection, Bell & Ross studied, among other things, pocket watches from the Great War and flight instruments from back to the 1940s. The Vintage collection is now in its third generation, and the newest members feature a trademark black dial with sand-coloured 12, 3, 6 and 9 numerals, “as if aged by the patina of time”. They evoke the past to bring its tangibility, trust and gravitas to the attention-deficit era. The smaller 41mm polished/satin-finished steel case similarly speaks with quiet authority, its rounded lugs a match for the new metal bracelet with fine links. The retro-look is also detailed in the ultra-curved finish of the sapphire crystal, a nod to vintage watches. An example of how clearly conceived and well-executed industrial design can be a competitive advantage.

BRV2-92 Steel Heritage

The Bell & Ross Vintage collection introduced in 2009 referenced “key eras in aviation history” and, more pertinently, unifies its models around a common design concept. Regardless of shape, size or function, “they share the characteristic of expressing the passage of time through colours" and, as mentioned previously, "a patina that give them a vintage look”. This level of subtlety completes the design so that it pushes all right buttons in the mind of the beholder. The primary design element is the combination of beige numerals on a black background. The collection has now been updated with the BR V2-92 and BR V2-94 Steel Heritage, inspired by 1960s aircraft instrument panels.

BRV2-92 Steel Heritage case

BRV2-94 Steel Heritage metal

BRV2-94 Steel Heritage

BRV-2: Devil in the Subtlest Details All Worked Out

In coming up with the Heritage design concept of the Vintage collection, Bell & Ross studied, among other things, pocket watches from the Great War and flight instruments from back to the 1940s. The Vintage collection is now in its third generation, and the newest members feature a trademark black dial with sand-coloured 12, 3, 6 and 9 numerals, “as if aged by the patina of time”. They evoke the past to bring its tangibility, trust and gravitas to the attention-deficit era. The smaller 41mm polished/satin-finished steel case similarly speaks with quiet authority, its rounded lugs a match for the new metal bracelet with fine links. The retro-look is also detailed in the ultra-curved finish of the sapphire crystal, a nod to vintage watches. An example of how clearly conceived and well-executed industrial design can be a competitive advantage.

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BRV2-92 Steel Heritage

The Bell & Ross Vintage collection introduced in 2009 referenced “key eras in aviation history” and, more pertinently, unifies its models around a common design concept. Regardless of shape, size or function, “they share the characteristic of expressing the passage of time through colours" and, as mentioned previously, "a patina that give them a vintage look”. This level of subtlety completes the design so that it pushes all right buttons in the mind of the beholder. The primary design element is the combination of beige numerals on a black background. The collection has now been updated with the BR V2-92 and BR V2-94 Steel Heritage, inspired by 1960s aircraft instrument panels.